US and Israel deny Trump ‘ready to recognise Palestinian state’

Israel and the United States have refuted a report on Israeli television which claimed Donald Trump administration is working on a peace plan to recognise a Palestinian state.

The article on Channel 2 said the deal would not be based on the pre-1967 lines, would not include the uprooting of Jews and Arabs but would include territorial swaps and Israel would continue to have a military presence in the Jordan Valley.

However, officials from both governments have been quick to deny the claims. A White House official told The Times of Israel it was not an “accurate representation”, while Netanyahu’s office said: “the report is not accurate.”

Speaking ahead of his weekly governmental meeting, Netanyahu added that ‘Washington knows what Israel’s national and security issues are’, saying: “We heard a lot of speculation over the weekend [about the US peace plan].”

Israeli politicians were more vociferous in their reaction to the report. Strategic Affairs Minister Gilad Erdan said that Israel would work with the US on its initiative, but denied any knowledge of the plan, saying: “In any event, it’s our understanding that at this time it’s not possible to have a solution like a Palestinian state.”

Culture and Sports Minister Miri Regev (Likud) rejected the idea of a Palestinian state in the West Bank and the Jordan Valley, saying: “There is room for only one state between the sea [Mediterranean] and the Jordan [River], and there is no space there for Palestinian state.”